Eating Elephants I was outdoors on my deck enjoying the crispness of a cool spring day that was alternately punctuated by the warmth of the direct sunlight and the bitterness of a strong wind that foreshadowed the predicted drop in temperature. Nestled in some of my favorite surroundings of redbud trees that are in the perfect state of flowering and leafing, sporting the shades of purple and spring green that epitomize the season in my mind and a flowing natural spring, I am enjoying one of my favorite pursuits from this location, a pot of coffee and reading articles from the computer. In contrast to my surroundings, which are pretty much perfect, I read the statement, “ At-risk students are victims of circumstances. They can’t pull themselves up by the bootstraps – they have no boots. No child abuse is more insidious, pernicious, and pervasive than the pain and humiliation of school failure inflicted daily on the lives of unfortunate, at-risk students.”
Needless to say, this caught my attention and piqued my curiosity to read the linked article: http://teachers.net/gazette/APR09/page/by Bill Page, who is a teacher and author with a passion for at-risk kids.His statements are bold, possibly inflammatory, and as I read them as an educator, they sting. Why? Why does anything sting?The sting comes from the fact that I recognize there is an ugly truth to the statements. It is one of those “Emperor’s New Clothes kinds of moments.” It is the kind of thing that “everyone” knows, but no one will say.
Later, as I made a text-to-self connection, a couple of statements that are sometimes uttered by frustrated educators echoed in my mind,“We have tried EVERYTHING! NOTHING works!” I have read or heard these statements many times, including coming out of my own mouth, and many times they are in reference to these kids with “no boots.” I don’t propose to “change the world,” but I would like to change my part of the world. In reference to my own personal mission statement, “To make a difference in at least one life daily,” I know that when I hear those types of statements, I will challenge the speaker (including myself) to reframe the thought, “We have tried a lot of things and nothing has worked to the extent we would like. What else can we try?”I challenge you to call me on the “everything/nothing” types of statements as well, if you hear me say something like that.
St. Francis of Asissi says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” While the goal to which I refer is not exactly “world peace,” it does have the same “elephant-esque” ring of impossibility.But, we all know how to deal with “elephants,” one bite at a time and if we are all taking bites out of that same elephant, it will be finished off a lot quicker. Here’s to eating elephants. Author's note: This essay will be published someday in my upcoming book of random essays and musings about educational experiences and momentary inspirations. I don't know when my book will be complete, but I will recognize a finished book when I see it.
I was outdoors on my deck enjoying the crispness of a cool spring day that was alternately punctuated by the warmth of the direct sunlight and the bitterness of a strong wind that foreshadowed the predicted drop in temperature. Nestled in some of my favorite surroundings of redbud trees that are in the perfect state of flowering and leafing, sporting the shades of purple and spring green that epitomize the season in my mind and a flowing natural spring, I am enjoying one of my favorite pursuits from this location, a pot of coffee and reading articles from the computer.
In contrast to my surroundings, which are pretty much perfect, I read the statement, “ At-risk students are victims of circumstances. They can’t pull themselves up by the bootstraps – they have no boots. No child abuse is more insidious, pernicious, and pervasive than the pain and humiliation of school failure inflicted daily on the lives of unfortunate, at-risk students.”
Needless to say, this caught my attention and piqued my curiosity to read the linked article: http://teachers.net/gazette/APR09/page/ by Bill Page, who is a teacher and author with a passion for at-risk kids. His statements are bold, possibly inflammatory, and as I read them as an educator, they sting. Why? Why does anything sting? The sting comes from the fact that I recognize there is an ugly truth to the statements. It is one of those “Emperor’s New Clothes kinds of moments.” It is the kind of thing that “everyone” knows, but no one will say.
Later, as I made a text-to-self connection, a couple of statements that are sometimes uttered by frustrated educators echoed in my mind, “We have tried EVERYTHING! NOTHING works!” I have read or heard these statements many times, including coming out of my own mouth, and many times they are in reference to these kids with “no boots.”
I don’t propose to “change the world,” but I would like to change my part of the world. In reference to my own personal mission statement, “To make a difference in at least one life daily,” I know that when I hear those types of statements, I will challenge the speaker (including myself) to reframe the thought, “We have tried a lot of things and nothing has worked to the extent we would like. What else can we try?” I challenge you to call me on the “everything/nothing” types of statements as well, if you hear me say something like that.
St. Francis of Asissi says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” While the goal to which I refer is not exactly “world peace,” it does have the same “elephant-esque” ring of impossibility. But, we all know how to deal with “elephants,” one bite at a time and if we are all taking bites out of that same elephant, it will be finished off a lot quicker.
Here’s to eating elephants.
Author's note: This essay will be published someday in my upcoming book of random essays and musings about educational experiences and momentary inspirations. I don't know when my book will be complete, but I will recognize a finished book when I see it.